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Secondary sourceBook1923

The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Physical Science

Edwin A. Burtt · 1923

A 1923 historical and critical study of the metaphysical ideas underlying Newton's physics.

A later scholarly study analyzing the philosophical foundations of Newton's scientific work.

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The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Physical SciencePDF · 386 pages

About this source

What it is

This is a scholarly book written by Edwin A. Burtt in 1923, examining the philosophical and metaphysical assumptions behind modern physical science, with particular attention to Isaac Newton. It survives as a scanned volume held by the Internet Archive.

Why it matters

This book is a secondary source, written over two centuries after Newton's death, that looks back at his scientific achievements and asks what hidden philosophical beliefs shaped them. It shows how later thinkers have continued to study and interpret Newton's legacy, treating him not just as a scientist but as a figure whose ideas about the universe had deep philosophical roots.

Look closer

  • Why might a historian in the 1920s want to study the hidden assumptions behind Newton's physics?
  • What does it mean to call Newton's physics 'metaphysical,' and why might this surprise people who think of him only as a scientist?
  • How might studying a secondary source like this differ from reading Newton's own writings?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Isaac Newton on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Title page of the 1687 first edition of Newton's Principia. Large capitals read PHILOSOPHIÆ NATURALIS PRINCIPIA MATHEMATICA, with author credit, Imprimatur by S. Pepys, dated Julii 5, 1686, and London printing by Josephi Streater, Anno MDCLXXXVII.Book

Primary source

Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica

Isaac Newton · 1687

Title page with a page number marked [1] at top, reading PHILOSOPHIAE NATURALIS Principia MATHEMATICA, followed by the heading Definitiones and Def. I, with a Latin definition of quantity of matter in italic type. Faint bleed-through text from the reverse page is visible.Book

Primary source

Principia Mathematica, Page 1: Definitions

Isaac Newton · 1687

Black-and-white line engraving of an elderly man with long, wavy white hair seated in a dark armchair, wearing a dark coat, waistcoat, and white cravat, with his hands resting on his knee. A column appears at the right. Inscribed beneath: 'ISAACUS NEWTON EQ. AUR. ÆT. 83', with 'I. Vanderbank pinxit 1725' at lower left and 'Geo. Vertue Sculpsit 1726' at lower right.Painting

Primary source

Sir Isaac Newton, line engraving by Vertue, 1726

George Vertue · 1726

Engraved diagram on a cream page within a book, showing a curved comet path from Sol at left, with dated positions such as Nov. 25, Dec. 12, Jan. 5 and Mar. 5, labeled orbit lines and a sphere intersection line.Document

Primary source

Principia Mathematica, Fold-out Diagram

Isaac Newton · 1687

Engraved portrait of Sir Isaac Newton, a man with long curled wig and dark robe, bust-length, against a shaded background. Caption below reads 'SIR ISAAC NEWTON' and publisher 'William Collins Glasgow & London'.Painting

Primary source

Sir Isaac Newton, stipple engraving by J. Scott after Kneller, 1702

J. Scott, after Sir Godfrey Kneller · 1702 (print made later)

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